Dreamliner: Second cracked engine triggers NTSB probe

The Dreamliner’s reputation as technologically advanced aircraft will fade quickly if these engine problems aren’t handled swiftly and decisively.

— Dennis Schaal

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Just two months after an engine cracked and failed during test aboard a Boeing 787, federal plane inspectors have found a second engine problem on a different Dreamliner, the National Transportation Safety Board announced.

The NTSB identified the problem as a cracked fan midshaft on a Dreamliner General Electric GEnx-1B turbofan engine, the group said in a written statement posted on its website Thursday. The 787 had not yet flown when investigators identified the engine problem, investigators said.

Inspectors uncovered the cracked second engine during an inspection of all in-service engines of that type, the NTSB said. The statement included no further details of the discovery. The NTSB, which investigates all U.S. civil aviation accidents, said its investigation of the engine troubles is continuing.